NEPRL serves to connect research to education policy and practice in Nebraska.
The Nebraska Education Policy Research Lab, housed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, is a collaboration between the Nebraska Department of Education (NDE) and researchers across the University of Nebraska system to conduct rigorous research for the purpose of developing a body of evidence-based policy solutions that can be shared and applied widely within the Nebraska education system.
As a learning lab, NEPRL research is conducted in collaboration with select NU students as part of their academic training to develop educational research skills. NEPRL conducts ethical research which has academic merit and broader impact for the Nebraska educational community.
The NEPRL Team consists of faculty members from:
- UNO Educational Leadership Department
- UNO Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences
- UNO Teacher Education Department
- UNO Center for Public Affairs Research
- UNK Educational Administration Department
- UNL Educational Administration Department
Research
NEPRL is a collaborative team of researchers, educational leaders, policy leaders, and educators working together to answer important questions about education. Using the diverse skill set of the team, NEPRL will investigate relevant questions critical to educational decision makers in Nebraska and beyond
Policy
NEPRL will widely disseminate research and evaluation results to inform education policies in the state of Nebraska. White papers, scholarly journal manuscripts, presentations, and workshops will all be used to communicate the research to policy decision-makers and the broader public.
Practice
NERPL will create ample opportunities to learn with current and aspiring educational leaders to inform new questions of the lab and to share back the evidence generated in the lab with current practitioners. Initiatives of NEPRL to work with practitioners will include, integration of research into graduate educational leadership course curriculum and the development of cohorts of practitioners that engage with the research being conducted in the lab.